Paint roller cleaner

ABSTRACT

A PAINT ROLLER CLEANER FOR CONVENTIONAL PAINT ROLLERS HAVING A POINT ROLLER ELEMENT THEREON FOR PAINTING WITH WATER SOLUBLE PAINT COMPRISING A CLOSED TOP OPEN BOTTOM HOUSING HAVING AN ELONGATED APERTURE IN ONE SIDE THEREOF TO ADMIT OF THE INSERTION OF THE ROLLER PORTION OF SAID PAINT ROLLER THEREIN, A BASE FORMED WITH DRAINAGE APERTURES THERETHROUGH ON WHICH SAID HOUSING IS REMOVABLY FIXED, AND PREFERABLY A CUP ELEMENT ROTATABLY MOUNTED CENTRALLY ON SAID BASE ONTO WHICH THE FREE END OF SAID CONVENTIONAL PAINT ROLLER IS MANUALLY POSITIONED WHILE A WATER JET FROM A HOSE IS MANUALLY DIRECTED AGAINST SAID PAINT ROLLER ELEMENT WHERE BY TO ROTATE AND CLEAN WATER SOLUBLE PAINT THEREFROM WHICH REMAINS THEREON AFTER USE.

United States Patent 72] Inventor Richard T. Bywater 115 Country Club Drive, Elmira, N.Y. 14905 21 Appl. No. 879,202

[22] Filed Nov. 24, 1969 [45] Patented June 28, 1971 [54] PAINT ROLLER CLEANER 2 Claims, 3 Drawing Figs.

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3,075,534 1/1963 Habostad 134/138 FOREIGN PATENTS 412,981 5/1925 Germany 134/141 Primary Examiner-Daniel Blum Attorney-Everett G. Wright ABSTRACT: A paint roller cleaner for conventional paint rollers having a point roller element thereon for painting with water soluble paint comprising a closed top open bottom housing having an elongated aperture in one side thereof to admit of the insertion of the roller portion of said paint roller therein, a base formed with drainage apertures therethrough on which said housing is removably fixed, and preferably a cup element rotatably mounted centrally on said base onto which the free end of said conventional paint roller is manually positioned while a water jet from a hose is manually directed against said paint roller element where by to rotate and clean water soluble paint therefrom which remains thereon after use.

PATENIEUaunzswm 3,5 7,599

IN VEN'I'UR.

RICHARD T. BYWATER AT TO EY PAINT ROLLER CLEANER BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Conventional paint rollers used for painting with water soluble paints are generally cleaned by soaking or spraying with water immediately after use.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The apparatus of the instant invention consists of a cylindrical vertical housing having a closed top, open bottom and a vertical access aperture in one side thereof to accommodate a conventional handheld paint roller having the roller element thereof disposed vertically. The said housing is removably mounted on a base having drainage apertures therein and provided with a central rotatable support for the paint roller. A single water jet element, such as a hose nozzle, is handheld and directed tangentially against and up and down the roller element as it is held vertically in freely rotatable relationship on the rotatable support for said paint roller. Manual pressure exerted on the base element by the paint roller element through said rotatable paint roller support serves to maintain the paint roller apparatus in a fixed vertical position while the jet stream is manually directed into the housing tangentially against the paint roller to rotate and clean the same.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The preferred embodiment of a paint roller cleaner of the invention disclosed in the drawing consists of a cylindrical housing 11 having a cover element 12, an open bottom 13, and a vertical aperture 14 in one side thereof through which the roller element 31 of a conventional paint roller 30 may be inserted, as shown in FIG. 1. If desired, the said cylindrical housing 11 may be frustoconical in shape with its upper portion of a lesser diameter than its open bottom whereby to admit of greater drainage of water therefrom.

A base 15 is preferably formed of cross members 16 suitably notched at 17 to permit them to be interlocked together. The said cross members 16 extend outwardly of the cylindrical housing 11, and the tops thereof are suitably kerfed at 18 to receive the lower periphery of the housing 11, as best sho'wn in FIGS. 2 and 3. The bottom of cross members 16 are also kerfed at 20 to receive the lower loop of a resilient anchorage means such as rubber bands 21 employed to removably secure the housing 11 to the base 15, the upper loops of each of the rubber bands 21 being positioned over a suitable lug 22 fixed to and extending diametrically outwardly from opposite sides of the housing 11. The foregoing construction provides drainage spaces 23 below the open bottom of the cylindrical housing 11.

In the drawing, although the housing 11 is shown to be of metal, it is contemplated that it may be formed of plastic or other suitable material. Likewise, the base 15, although it is shown to be formed of wood, it may be formed of plastic or metal.

As best shown in FIG. 3, a cup shaped paint roller support 25 preferably having a metal thimble 26 centrally therethrough is joumaled on a screw 27 threaded into the center of the base 15. A metal washer telescoped on the screw 27 supported on the base 15 provides an antifriction means upon which the said cup-shaped roller support 25 and its thimble 26 rotate freely. Obviously, other means may be employed to provide a freely rotatable paint roller support 25 located centrally on the said base 15.

In FIG. 1, a typical conventional paint roller 30 is shown seated and manually held vertically and centrally on the said rotatable paint roller support 25 which enables the paint roller element 31 to rotate freely as the paint roller 30 is so positioned. The typical paint roller 30 has a wire frame 32 upon which the conventional paint roller element 31 is rotatably mounted, the said wire frame 32 being suitably goosenecked to provide an arm 33 that extends centrally outwardly normal to the axis of rotation of the said paint roller element 31 and has a handle 34 thereon. Obviously, other types of conventional paint rollers may be readily cleaned in a paint roller cleaner 10 of the invention.

The paint roller 30 is shown in FIG. 1 disposed in a vertical position on the rotatable cup-shaped paint roller support 25 where it is held manually as indicated by the arrow. In this position, the paint roller element 31 of the paint roller 30 is free to rotate. A jet of water 41 from a hose nozzle 40 is directed manually in a generally tangential manner upwardly and downwardly all along one side of the paint roller element 31 to rotate and clean the same of water soluble paint by jet action, the jet stream of water being collected by thecylindrical housing 11 from which it innocuously runs out the drainage spaces 23 in the base 15 or out the apertured side 14 of the cylindrical housing 11. Obviously, the paint roller 30 is preferably cleaned a short time after its use in painting with water soluble paints and before such paint remaining thereon has had an opportunity to dry thoroughly.

The improved and simplified paint roller cleaner 30 of the invention is capable of use in the cleaning by heavy water jet action substantially all of the several types of conventional paint rollers presently employed in painting with water soluble paints, and it may be readily disassembled for being cleaned and reassembled for convenient storage and reuse.

Although but a single embodiment of the invention has been disclosed herein, it is obvious that many changes may be made in the size, shape, arrangement and detail of the various elements thereof, all without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

I claim:

I. A paint roller cleaner for cleaning water soluble paint from a paint roller by a jet stream of water manually directedfrom a hose against said paint roller while being held manually within said paint roller cleaner, said paint roller to be jet cleaned normally being of a conventional type having a wire frame with the paint roller element rotatably mounted thereon and having a handle extending therefrom normal to the axis of rotation of said paint roller element, said paint roller cleaner comprising:

a. a closed top and open bottom housing having said paint roller element therein with the handle thereof extending therefrom; y

b. a supporting base element formed at its upper portion to telescopingly receive and support said housing at the lower annulus thereof;

0. the said base element being formed to admit of drainage from said housing therethrough;

d. anchorage means removably securing said housing in as sembled relationship on said base; and

e. a freely turnable cup shaped support disposed centrally on said base upon which said paint roller is manually positioned vertically during cleaning thereof by a jet stream of water manually directed thereagainst from a hose or the like.

2. A paint roller cleaner for cleaning water soluble paint from a paint roller by a jet stream of water manually directed from a hose against said paint roller while being held manually within said paint roller cleaner, said paint roller to be jet cleaned normally being of a conventional type having a wire frame with the paint roller-element rotatably mounted thereon and having a handle extending therefrom normal to the axis of rotation of said paint roller element, said paint roller cleaner wardly with respect to said annular housing thereon; comprising: e. said housing having protruding anchor elements on two a. a closed top and open bottom housing having said paint opposite sides thereof alignable with two of said opposite roller element therein with the handle thereof extending bottom kerfs in said interlocking baseelements when said therefrom; 5 housing is assembled on said cross shaped base;

. a supporting cross shaped base formed of centrally interf. resilient means engaging said base at each of said opposite locking elements having their end portions extending outbottom kerfs therein a d e ch Said anchor element wardly from said housing and kerfed to telescopingly femovably securing Said fg element on said base; receive and Support i h upper portion th r f the g. means securing said centrally Interlocking base elements lower annulus of said housing whereby to permit said mgeiher at the center thereof; and housing to be telescopingly assembled on said base; a f y mmable l ShaRed PPP f'p centrally the said cross shaped base elements being sufficiently nar- P i P Toner y P row to admit of drainage from said housing through said "Oned verilcany dunng cleanmg thereof y l Stream of base; water manually directed against one side of said paint said cross shaped base having opposite kerfs in the botrollertom of said interlocking elements thereof located out- 

